The December 2020 edition of the SOLAS Newsletter (Issue 69) welcomes Lynne Alexander as the new SOLAS President, succeeding Shirley Green on 7 November. Lynne reflects on her own journey from joining the Dundee Branch Committee to General Council and encourages members to become actively involved in the Society. With COVID-19 continuing to restrict gatherings, the annual AGM was held virtually, while classes and CPD were also moving online, with plans for a virtual seminar in March 2021.
Despite the disruption of the pandemic, SOLAS successfully resumed much of its education programme remotely. The postponed Executry Exam eventually took place in October, producing 22 Distinctions, while the Feeing Exam recorded 15 Distinctions. The 2020/21 Cashroom course began remotely with 33 students, and the Education Board confirmed that classes and exams would continue online. The newsletter also reports encouraging results from virtual events, including an Edinburgh Branch seminar which attracted more than 70 attendees, demonstrating the potential for online CPD to reach members across Scotland.
Branch reports show Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow adapting their activities around restrictions, arranging online CPD, committee meetings and AGMs while continuing to encourage greater member participation. Edinburgh’s first online seminar was particularly successful, with 76 people attending a Law Society AML presentation, while Glasgow published an extensive programme of planned CPD for 2021. Across the Society, the emphasis was increasingly shifting from simply responding to COVID-19 towards using virtual delivery to maintain education, professional development and engagement until members could meet again in person.
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